Railroad

Railroad

A railroad is a means of wheeled transportation for moving people and goods. Railroads are tracks on which trains can tow cars behind an engine.

Industry: Railways

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Railroad

semaphore signal

Railways; Railroad

A signal that uses a moving arm to indicate the state of the line ahead. Having the signal arm point straight out usually indicates that the next section contains a train. A raised or lowered arm ...

capacitor discharge unit (CDU)

Railways; Railroad

Used to store power so that several point motors may be fired simultaneously.

sheave

Railways; Railroad

A wheel having a groove or grooves in its face surface for the passage of cable. This term may be applied collectively to include both sheave and its housing block.

capillary action

Railways; Railroad

The process by which water is drawn from a wet area to a dry area through the pores of a material.

shoulder

Railways; Railroad

The portion of roadbed and ballast which is between the end of the ties and the toe of the ballast slope.

car stop

Railways; Railroad

A device for stopping a car by engaging the wheels, as distinguished from a bumper, which engages the coupler of a car or the front bumper beam of a locomotive.

shunting signal

Railways; Railroad

A smaller than normal signal that is used specifically to indicate whether or not particular shunting moves may take place. Not usually modelled on layouts.